Samantha & Oscar’s Wedding at the Fairmont Turnberry IslePosted on August 23, 2010

I had the pleasure of photographing Samantha and Oscar’s magnificent wedding at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle in Aventura. According to the bride, they opted to have their wedding at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle because they loved the grounds and the atmosphere. They were also impressed with Annette Winkler, the catering director there for her professionalism and attention to detail. They knew they were in good hands and that everything would run smoothly.

Selecting the perfect vendors was really important for Samantha and Oscar. They wanted to work with people with whom they not only felt comfortable with, but whom they also trusted would do an amazing job for them. Flowers by Tony created the romantic ambiance that Samantha really wanted. He created two different centerpieces featuring white flowers – one was a ball of roses, hydrangeas, calla lilies and orchids that sat atop a glass cylinder filled with candles. The other was a variation on the first arrangement, but placed in branches and crystals. Trees were also placed throughout the reception that coordinated with the centerpieces.

Samantha and Oscar originally met through a childhood friend of Samantha’s. They became best friends for about a year before they began dating, and now – here they were – having the most incredible wedding at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle! Oscar looked very “official” in his Coast Guard uniform and Samantha was a knockout in a sweetheart, strapless Lazaro gown she purchased at Chic Parisien on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. The shoes she chose, also from Chic Parisien, were open toe sandals with crystals covering the front strap.

Soul Survivors, from Chase Music, rocked the reception for hours! The dance floor was constantly packed with guests who couldn’t resist the temptation to get up and dance the night away. Great music is so important and Soul Survivors never disappoints – their energy is all you need to create an amazing party atmosphere.

Samantha and Oscar were so much fun to work with, as I think is evident in these photos. We had a great time roaming the magnificent grounds of the Fairmont Turnberry Isle, creating amazing wedding photos! Thanks to both bride and groom for allowing me to part of this most memorable and fun event!

Thuy and Gary’s Destination Wedding in CuracaoPosted on August 20, 2010

A few weeks ago I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph Thuy and Gary’s destination wedding on the beautiful southern Caribbean island of Curacao. For those not familiar with Curacao, it is a small island just off the cost of South America, right next to its sister island of Aruba. A possession of the Netherlands, Curacao is tropical island with a distinctly European feel. Dutch and English are the languages of choice and the atmosphere is an interesting blend of both Caribbean and European cultures.

As a destination wedding photographer, I love the chance to be able to photograph brides and grooms in different locations. It’s a chance for me to really get my creative juices as a photographer flowing. Destination island weddings are fairly common for this South Florida wedding photographer, as I am based in close proximity to the Caribbean with access to many amazing islands. Curacao is one, however, that is most unusual due to its heavy European influence. Its Dutch roots add color and flair to the overall appearance and ambiance of the island.

Thuy and Gary live in North Carolina and have known each other for years, so when the right time to get married finally presented itself, they wanted to do something unique for their family and close friends. What better way to create a memorable event than to have a destination wedding in an exotic location such as Curacao?? They had booked a room block at Breezes, an all-inclusive resort on the island. This way, all of their guests would be able to stay without having to worry about finding places to eat or planning any outside activities since the resort had it all. Guests could enjoy many sparkling pools, a gorgeous beach area, scuba diving, snorkeling and many other fun activities while at the resort.

Since they were planning the wedding from so far away, Thuy and Gary enlisted the help of Monique of Ban Kasa Dream Weddings in Curacao to assist in making sure everything was organized properly and ran smoothly. Their ceremony was held at the quaint Santa Familia Church, with their reception dinner happening at Cru Steakhouse. There was music, dancing and an amazing wedding cake (with green cake inside!) The guests all had a fabulous time at this very special island affair.

I was thrilled to be a part of such a fun and interesting destination wedding. Thank you to Thuy and Gary for an incredible experience in paradise!

Wendy and Eddy’s Destination Wedding at the Four Seasons Palm BeachPosted on August 8, 2010

Wendy and Eddy are such a fun couple! We first met them last summer and we went up to Washington D.C. where we photographed their engagement shoot on their “home turf.” Those pictures are available to view in this blog as well. As they live up in the Washington D.C. area, planning their wedding was somewhat challenging, but eventually they settled on the magnificent Four Seasons Palm Beach for their destination wedding celebration, with the ceremony taking place at the beautiful Royal Poinciana Chapel.

The bride and groom wanted their wedding to be elegant, classy and fun, so what better venue to select than the magnificent Four Seasons Palm Beach? They also wanted everything to reflect their relationship and cultures, thus creating a “Cro-Latin” wedding (for Croatian and Latin). The band was Croatian, but they had a DJ play salsa and merengue music as well. Further, to represent the Latin culture, during the cocktail reception, they had a specialty drink (the Mojito), or as the Four Seasons called it the “Vujito”, blending Eddy and Wendy’s last name into the mix! Also, cerviche and chimichurri was served as well. In the Croatian culture, as Wendy explained, a healthy reception is important – therefore they made sure to have the Four Seasons create a significant amount of different types of foods during that time frame. For this purpose what a great choice was The Four Seasons Palm Beach - and they did not disappoint!

Other details from the wedding including the unique wedding favors which were traditional Latin American cookies called alfajores and the filling was either Dulce de Leche or Rose Hip jam from the Dalmatian coast. The seal on the box of alfajores read “The Sweetness of a Cro-Latin Union.” This was a complete play on words, but as Wendy explained, was representative of both their cultures.

Wendy looked absolutely radiant in a gown designed by Pronovias by Manuel Mota and she wore a Spanish veil, or mantilla. Her shoes were from J. Crew. The floral arrangements were artistically designed by Guerdy of Ocean Flowers. The cake was created with some of Wendy and Eddy’s favorite flavor combinations – Red Velvet with Grand Marnier. The wedding colors of navy blue, gold and ivory were chosen as they were the couple’s university colors.

Wendy and Eddy’s destination wedding at the Four Seasons Palm Beach was a magnificent affair and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph this beautiful couple on their special day. Many thanks to Wendy and Eddy for their cooperation and enthusiasm in helping to create the wonderful memories posted here.